Teeing off

SI.com’s Jon Heyman admits he doesn’t have much use for Curt Schilling or his myriad opinions — he says he avoids his blog “religiously” — but writes that there is no doubt the big righty belongs in the Hall of Fame. He also offers a fresh analogy regarding Schilling’s uncanny ability to walk the walk after talking the talk — particularly in the postseason:

Schilling called a championship for Boston — saying that was his intention the moment the Diamondbacks traded him there — then he delivered. That’s almost Namath-like. Joe Namath’s career football numbers aren’t so perfect, either, and nobody doubted his Hall of Fame qualifications. Championships are what it’s all about, and Schilling played as great a role in winning championships as just about any player of his generation except Mariano Rivera.

Heyman also notes that after Sandy Koufax, his choices to start a must-win game would be Schilling or John Smoltz — who to some degree is essentially Schilling’s replacement in Boston.

Donnelly had an 8.56 ERA for the Indians last season and was let go by a Texas club that has its usual unsettled bullpen, with seven relievers still fighting for four jobs. But if the Rangers were sending him a message that it’s time to hang ’em up, Donnelly didn’t listen.

“I didn’t see this one coming,” Donnelly told texasrangers.com. “. . . I thought I was throwing the ball pretty good. I gave up a couple of runs but I was told not to walk anybody and I didn’t.

“I came in there and pounded the zone. Spring Training is a process, each day you work on something and then you put the final package together at the end. I thought I’ve thrown the ball better than I have the past couple of years.”

“He came to me and he said that he had known me for a long time but that things were a little different between he and I in Spring Training here,” Macha told milwaukeebrewers.com “But I said to him, ‘No. 1, I am trying to get to know 56 different people here. The other thing is I wanted you to come in here and earn this spot yourself.’

“I consider Trot a friend and I’m proud of his career. I know his father and his wife, and if he does get on to play, I wish him well. If he doesn’t, I told him it’s equally difficult for everyone. When you love the game as much as he does, and as I did, it’s tough to call it quits. I hope he catches on and gets to play this year.”

Nixon, a popular but oft-injured player during his 10 seasons with Boston, turns 35 on April 11, but he has struggled since the Red Sox chose not to re-sign him after the ’06 season. He hit .171 in 35 at-bats for the Mets last year.

Macha was Nixon’s manager for four seasons in the Red Sox system, and the two were reportedly close. You have to wonder if Macha offered him some advice he wasn’t ready to hear.